They say that if you want a change in weather, schedule a bass tournament. And if you want a really big change, schedule a championship.

One of the hottest summers on record crashed to a halt this morning with cool temperatures, lightning and winds – all while the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup field sat at idle for day-1 blast-off.



The field that had practiced under 100-plus degree temperatures, still winds and high, blue skies faced a brand new set of conditions at Arkansas' Lake Ouachita. In essence, many of the patterns were still there, but a topwater bite developed that helped push several bags unexpectedly into the mid-teens. Overall, the fish wanted to eat today.

Scott Martin set the pace today with a 19-pound catch. He caught the bulk of it in the first few hours from a single spot – fishing what he termed "mid-depths" – then quit fishing and hunted new stuff. He noted that conditions weren't a factor for him today – he thinks he'd have caught the same if it was hot, sunny and still.

About a pound behind Martin is Jason Christie, who said he had a record-setting world's-worst practice but junked his way to 18 pounds today with a topwater. Christie, unlike Martin, clearly benefited from the radical change in conditions.

Brandon Coulter, who also caught 18 pounds, threw a topwater in a foot of water all day. A noontime flurry produced most of his weight.

Next comes Jay Yelas in 4th, who's fishing differently than the three pros ahead of him. Yelas bounced from shallow to deep repeatedly throughout the day. His better bites are shallow, his numbers are deep, and with 17-05 he trails Martin by 1-13. Especially interesting about Yelas is his belief that the weights will tumble and if he can weigh three more bags in the low-teens he'll be right there at the end.

Randall Tharp rounds out the Top 5. Tharp lost fish that would have given him a 20-pound bag, he said, and he's amped because he thinks he's on size that'll last.

A few other insights about day 1:

> More than half the field caught better than 10 pounds.

> The Top-10 pace is 14 pounds right now, but that should dip to at most 12 pounds by tomorrow, and perhaps lower by day 3.

> Only one Arkansan is currently in the Top 10 (9th-place Mark Rose).

> With the weather conditions, plus the fact that Ozarks lakes can turn notoriously tough on weekends, this was an extraordinarily important day 1. It could be tough to make up weight at this venue.



BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Jason Christie junked his way to 18 pounds.

The field cuts to the Top 20 after tomorrow (day 2), then to the Top 10 after day 3. Cumulative 4-day weight determines the winner.

Below is a look at the Top 20. Total weight is followed by distance from leader in red.

1. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, FL -- 5, 19-02
2. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, OK -- 5, 18-01 (1-01)
3. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, TN -- 5, 18-00 (1-02)
4. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, OR -- 5, 17-05 (1-13)
5. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, AL -- 5, 16-00 (3-02)
6. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, AL -- 5, 14-14 (4-04)
7. Jon Strelic -- El Cajon, CA -- 5, 14-12 (4-06)
8. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, IN -- 5, 14-10 (4-08)
9. Mark Rose -- Marion, AR -- 5, 14-09 (4-09)
10. Cody Meyer -- Grass Valley, CA -- 5, 14-02 (5-00)
11. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, WA -- 5, 13-15 (5-03)
12. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, SC -- 5, 13-09 (5-09)
13. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, VA -- 5, 13-06 (5-12)
14. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, TN -- 5, 12-12 (6-06)
15. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, AR -- 5, 12-08 (6-10)
15. Shane Long -- Sarcoxie, MO -- 5, 12-08 (6-10)
17. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, AL -- 5, 12-07 (6-11)
17. John Cox -- Debary, FL -- 5, 12-07 (6-11)
19. Bret Gouvea -- Redding, CA -- 5, 12-06 (6-12)
20. Andy Montgomery -- Grover, NC -- 5, 12-05 (6-13)

Martin 'Comfortable'

> Day 1: 5, 19-02

"It feels great," Martin said shortly after he weighed in. "I've been doing this a long time and to win this would just mean so much. I've come close a few times in the past but I feel really good this week about it. I had a good pre-practice and practice. I feel very comfortable out there. But I know I have to overcome some adversity this week."

He listed the adversity as changing weather, heat and fish care. He anticipated the fish-care issue and installed a Keep Alive oxygen system a few weeks ago. He still lost a fish, but without the system, he said he might have lost them all.

As noted, the bulk of his bag came from a single area and he was done there by about 9:00. So he saved the area and went practicing after that.

About that area, he said: "It's mid-depth. It's not super-deep and nobody's in it. I've been very fortunate and I've not had a lot of boats around much of my stuff. I feel good about it. But this is the first quarter. I've got three more hard days ahead of me and I just have to stay focused and adjust.

"It's just an area and it's not necessarily based on morning," he added. "I think I could catch them there in pretty much any conditions. If it's dead-calm and 108 I might have a problem. But other than that, they're biting pretty good for me."

2nd: Christie Relieved

> Day 1: 5, 18-02

Christie continues to amaze. He made a run at the Cup last year when he finished 8th, and he's won twice so far this year (FLW Tour and PAA Tournament Series).

The way he told it after weigh-in, today was "an answer to a prayer." He had one of the worst practices of his career, but given today's conditions, he picked up a topwater and started throwing it at anything that looked good. He didn't catch all his fish on topwater, but it was a key presentation as he junked his way both deep and shallow around the lake.

A 5-pounder anchored his 18-pound bag.

"It's definitely 100% junk-fishing," he said. "I burned two tanks of gas today. I'd pull into an area, fish it real thorough, then run 9 or 10 miles to another area. I don't know this lake that well to be able to pick it apart. I'm just using what I learned in the past and looking for little things maybe other guys were missing."

A few other notable statements from Christie:

> "The fish were a little more aggressive today. They wanted to bite."

> "My trolling motor got a workout today going from spot to spot. I was moving around a bunch."

> "When I caught my first one today I did a backflip. That's how bad my practice was."

> "Today was an answer to a prayer because after my practice, I was praying for some kind of change – high winds, storms. I needed it. I was lucky to get this day. I'm hoping Mother Nature throws it at us again tomorrow. It'll keep some of these guys confused, like I was confused during practice."

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Brandon Coulter hurled a topwater today.

3rd: Coulter Tossed Tops

> Day 1: 5, 18-01

Coulter planned to throw topwater today, and did. But he was a little tense this morning when the lightning crashed during blast-off.

"I thought I'd catch at least a limit today – maybe 12 to 14 pounds – but I had a 30-minute period around 12:30 or 1:00 where I really caught them. I was worried about it though because of the lightning and stuff. Lightning usually isn't a good thing for topwater."

He threw the topwater all day, covering water and intercepting fish here and there. He said he caught cruisers, bream-bed fish and more, and every fish came in a foot and a half of water or less.

About another potential change in conditions, he said; "I'm not in trouble if it's sunny. I just want stable weather. It seemed today that when a storm blew through, you'd catch nothing. Then after an hour they'd turn on again. They don't like to look up in storms. Anytime there's some stable weather, they start to look up again."

4th: Yelas Shifted Every Other Hour

> Day 1: 5, 17-05

Yelas told BassFans he was confident he could catch them, and he did. But he fished differently than most of the leaders, because he bounced from deep to shallow.

He spent the first 3 hours deep and caught two good ones, then went shallow for 2 hours, moved deep for the next 2, then finished out the day shallow.

BassFan
Photo: BassFan

Jay Yelas is fishing a mix of deep and shallow.

"It's a weird way to fish, but I felt like I was set up well for this," he said. "I've got shallow and deep fish. I'm catching more deep, but if I catch one shallow, it's usually a good one."

He echoed the common sentiment that the conditions were ideal for the shallow bite. The water temperature dipped significantly, the winds kicked oxygen into the water, the clouds let them roam and they were wanting to eat.

That could all change, though, if conditions revert to what they were in practice. If it gets sunny, he thinks he'll have to rely on his deep bite. And if that's the case, it's good news, he feels, because he can catch them out there too, while many others can't.

"No matter what the weather does, I feel prepared. Going in, I thought 13 pounds a day would win. I don't know if that'll be the case, but nobody's going to be in the upper-teens for 4 days. Clear-water lakes get tough when the sun's out and it's 92 degrees, and there's no way you can catch enough shallow for 4 days to win."

5th: Tharp Shallow

> Day 1: 5, 16-00

Tharp's won at every level except the tour level, but expectations are his first tour win will come soon. Could be this week. He's on a strong class of shallow fish and that's all he's got, so he's going to ride it until the end.

A few Tharp items of note: 1. He lost fish that would have given him a 20-pound bag today. 2. He expected to lose some fish, but not 5 of his 13 keeper bites. 3. His feelings about the day are mixed.

"I'm really pleased with it, but it was the worst tournament day I've had as long as I've been fishing," he said. "I got big fish hooked and to the boat. They came off, and you can't do that in a tournament like this. So I was really fortunate to come out with 16 pounds. And I caught two of the good ones in the last 30 minutes.

"I'm going to lose a few fishing the way I'm fishing, but 80% would probably be a good ratio. Today I was barely better than 50%. And of the fish I boated, I only removed the hook from one of them. The others – the hook fell out in the net."

Also of note: He had his best practice day when the weather was the hottest and sunniest.

About potentially being in position to win the Cup, he said: "I've won tournaments and AOYs at every level except this level. It's the Forrest Wood Cup. This is the deal. It's what I live for. You can feel it in the morning – it's not your normal tour event. It's for $600,000 against all the best fishermen."

Additional Notes

Following are notes for anglers outside the Top 5.

6th: Justin Lucas (5, 14-14)
Lucas didn't have any fish until 10:30, when he caught his first. Then he changed spots and caught a few good ones. He finished his limit on yet another spot, then made a stop and caught a 4 1/2 on his second cast.

"I was fishing shallow and I didn't run into boats today. There was nobody on any of my water and that's a good feeling to know I should be able to run the same thing tomorrow."

7th: Jon Strelic (5, 14-12)
Strelic had shallow and deep bites coming in, but stuck with shallow today.

"I'm fishing hardbaits, winding and covering a lot of water. I'm running and gunning – hitting as many pockets as I can cover. I pull up, fish 5 minutes, then go. This lake's a lot like Lake Mead, believe it or not. It's not as clear as Mead, but the fish act surprisingly the same. If you cover enough water, you're eventually going to run into them."

8th: Jacob Wheeler (5, 14-10)
Wheeler, the 20-year-old BFL All-American champ, is well in contention with 14-plus pounds. He fished shallow most of the day.

"I'm happy with it for the first day. There were some big sacks today but after that it's all about consistency. I still think it'll take 12 to 14 a day. If I can catch 14 a day I think I'll have a real good shot at winning it.

"I'm fishing more of a pattern than an area, but there are a lot of guys who found similar stuff. So you just have to wait for someone to go through the area. He might not catch them but he'll disturb them. I might take 30 minutes of waiting, but then you can go back through and hit a specific thing and catch them."

9th: Mark Rose (5, 14-09)
Rose, who said he fished the mid-depths, anchored his bag with a 5-pounder, which he caught in the middle of the day.

"I've got a pattern right now that's working, and I felt going in that it could produce 10 or 12 pounds if I had a really good day. Today the cloud cover brought out a couple of decent bags. I hadn't been getting those bites with the sun, so I was very thankful for the clouds. But in the same breath, I kind of didn't want them because everybody else caught them too."

10th: Cody Meyer (5, 14-02)
No surprise to see Meyer in the Top 10: He finished 2nd and 3rd in the two previous Cups.

"Practice was tough for me and I was catching 8 pounds a day. Today I stayed on the topwater and caught a couple 3s first thing, then ran with that the rest of the day. I'm super happy to have what I've got. I was throwing a little Jackall Bowstick."

Notable

> Day 1 stats – 58 pros, 39 limits, 7 fours, 3 threes, 5 twos, 2 ones, 2 zeroes.

> Stacey King is an Ozarks specialist, but sits in 33rd with 10 pounds. He said he's not too disappointed. He has an upcoming medical procedure and took it pretty easy during practice and competition today.

> Luke Clausen, in 11th with 13-15, said it took him too long to adjust. The fish did the opposite of what he thought they'd do with the weather change, and he thinks he missed a window of opportunity this morning.

Weather Forecast

> Fri., Aug. 12 - Isolated T-Storms - 92°/77°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 7 mph

> Sat., Aug. 13 - Scattered T-Storms - 98°/74°
- Wind: From the W/SW at 10 mph

> Sun., Aug. 14 - Sunny - 93°/70°
- Wind: From the NW at 10 mph

Day 1 Standings

1. Scott Martin -- Clewiston, Fl -- 5, 19-02

2. Jason Christie -- Park Hill, Ok -- 5, 18-01

3. Brandon Coulter -- Knoxville, Tn -- 5, 18-00

4. Jay Yelas -- Corvallis, Or -- 5, 17-05

5. Randall Tharp -- Gardendale, Al -- 5, 16-00

6. Justin Lucas -- Guntersville, Al -- 5, 14-14

7. Jon Strelic -- El Cajon, Ca -- 5, 14-12

8. Jacob Wheeler -- Indianapolis, In -- 5, 14-10

9. Mark Rose -- Marion, Ar -- 5, 14-09

10. Cody Meyer -- Grass Valley, Ca -- 5, 14-02

11. Luke Clausen -- Spokane, Wa -- 5, 13-15

12. Todd Auten -- Lake Wylie, Sc -- 5, 13-09

13. Jacob Powroznik -- Prince George, Va -- 5, 13-06

14. Wesley Strader -- Spring City, Tn -- 5, 12-12

15. Rob Kilby -- Hot Springs, Ar -- 5, 12-08

15. Shane Long -- Sarcoxie, Mo -- 5, 12-08

17. Scott Canterbury -- Springville, Al -- 5, 12-07

17. John Cox -- Debary, Fl -- 5, 12-07

19. Bret Gouvea -- Redding, Ca -- 5, 12-06

20. Andy Montgomery -- Grover, Nc -- 5, 12-05

21. Tom Monsoor -- La Crosse, Wi -- 5, 12-01

22. Chad Aaron -- Ethridge, Tn -- 5, 12-00

23. Jim Moynagh -- Carver, Mn -- 5, 11-15

24. Darrin Schwenkbeck -- Varysburg, Ny -- 5, 11-14

25. Brent Ehrler -- Redlands, Ca -- 5, 11-11

25. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 5, 11-11

27. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 11-09

28. Ron Shuffield -- Bismarck, Ar -- 5, 11-01

29. Bill Chapman -- Salt Rock, Wv -- 5, 11-00

29. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 5, 11-00

31. Clark Wendlandt -- Leander, Tx -- 5, 10-09

32. Brett Hite -- Phoenix, Az -- 5, 10-02

33. Stacey King -- Reeds Spring, Mo -- 5, 10-01

34. Dave Lefebre -- Union City, Pa -- 5, 9-15

35. Andy Morgan -- Dayton, Tn -- 4, 9-12

36. Matt Arey -- Shelby, Nc -- 5, 9-10

37. Shad Schenck -- Waynetown, In -- 5, 9-08

38. Koby Kreiger -- Okeechobee, Fl -- 5, 9-06

39. Shinichi Fukae -- Palestine, Tx -- 3, 9-03

40. Jt Kenney -- Palm Bay, Fl -- 5, 8-10

41. Vic Vatalaro -- Kent, Oh -- 4, 7-13

42. Ronald Hobbs, Jr. -- Orting, Wa -- 5, 7-12

43. Robbie Dodson -- Harrison, Ar -- 3, 7-11

44. Mike Reynolds -- Modesto, Ca -- 4, 7-05

45. Cody Bird -- Granbury, Tx -- 4, 6-06

46. Darrel Robertson -- Jay, Ok -- 4, 5-14

47. Clifford Pirch -- Payson, Az -- 4, 5-13

48. Robert Lee -- Angels Camp, Ca -- 2, 5-11

49. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 4, 5-09

49. Allen Boyd -- Salem, In -- 3, 5-09

51. Kevin Snider -- Elizabethtown, Ky -- 2, 5-03

52. Glenn Chappelear -- Acworth, Ga -- 2, 4-11

53. Terry Bolton -- Jonesboro, Ar -- 2, 4-00

54. Jeremy Guidry -- Opelousas, La -- 2, 3-07

55. Jeff Michels -- Lakehead, Ca -- 1, 2-03

56. Chris Zaldain -- San Jose, Ca -- 1, 1-06

57. Jake Gipson -- Niceville, Fl -- 0, 0-00

57. Shawn Murphy -- Nicholasville, Ky -- 0, 0-00